Could Kovalev be a Good Fit for the Penguins?

*Feb 24th, 2011:The Penguins have just picked up Alexei Kovalev for a 7th round draft pick. The big question now is whether Craig Adams will give up his number so we can bring back the AK27.

There is a lot of talk right now about the Pens having interest in obtaining the services of Alexei Kovalev. Many sources report this as a possibility. Most people, who comment on the possibility, seem to think that it would not necessarily be a good thing. They say he is past his prime and his numbers are not good. This is true. I would like to take the other side of the argument and propose it would be a good thing to do.

I must admit right of the bat that I am a huge fan off Alexei Kovalev. I was very excited when the Pens acquired his services during the 98-99 season. In my opinion, he was one of most exciting guys to watch play. He has a remarkable ability to stickhandle and an equally impressive shot. During his time in Pittsburgh, he put up some very good numbers. He had 149 goals and 347 points in 345 games during his time in Pittsburgh.

Admittedly, he is past his prime and his production has slipped. This year he has 14 goals and 27 points in 53 games. He has certainly fallen out of favor in Ottawa. I wonder if part of the reason for his drop in performance might be the environment in Ottawa. Just over a season and half ago, his last Montreal, he had 26 goals and 65 points. Maybe a change of scenery would lift his game.

Kovalev has been a bit of an enigma. He seems to have all of the talent in the world, but it is not necessarily reflected in the score sheet. I think (hope) that if he were to come to Pittsburgh, he could find that certain inspiration that allows him to lift his game to a higher level. If you look at his career statistics, he consistently put up good numbers while playing for the Penguins. It just seems like a good fit. The positive influence of the Pittsburgh coaching staff and the overall style of hockey that the Pens play would allow Kovalev to prosper. I am not suggesting he would match the output he had when he was with Pittsburgh. I am saying he will be a better player in Pittsburgh than he has show over the last year and a half. I feel he can help this team.

— Regular Season — —- Playoffs —-

Season Team Lge GP G A Pts PIM GP G A Pts PIM

————————————————————————————–

1989-90 Moscow Dynamo Russi 1 0 0 0 0

1990-91 Moscow Dynamo Russi 18 1 2 3 4

1991-92 Moscow Dynamo Russi 26 16 8 24 16

1992-93 Binghamton Rangers AHL 13 13 11 24 35 9 3 5 8 14

1992-93 New York Rangers NHL 65 20 18 38 79 — — — — —

1993-94 New York Rangers NHL 76 23 33 56 154 23 9 12 21 18

1994-95 New York Rangers NHL 48 13 15 28 30 10 4 7 11 10

1994-95 Tolyatti Lada Russi 12 8 8 16 49 — — — — —

1995-96 New York Rangers NHL 81 24 34 58 98 11 3 4 7 14

1996-97 New York Rangers NHL 45 13 22 35 42 — — — — —

1997-98 New York Rangers NHL 73 23 30 53 44 — — — — —

1998-99 New York Rangers NHL 14 3 4 7 12 — — — — —

1998-99 Pittsburgh Penguins NHL 63 20 26 46 37 10 5 7 12 14

1999-00 Pittsburgh Penguins NHL 82 26 40 66 94 11 1 5 6 10

2000-01 Pittsburgh Penguins NHL 79 44 51 95 96 18 5 5 10 16

2001-02 Pittsburgh Penguins NHL 67 32 44 76 80 — — — — —

2002-03 Pittsburgh Penguins NHL 54 27 37 64 50 — — — — —

2002-03 New York Rangers NHL 24 10 3 13 20 — — — — —

2003-04 New York Rangers NHL 66 13 29 42 54 — — — — —

2003-04 Montreal Canadiens NHL 12 1 2 3 12 11 6 4 10 8

2004-05 Kazan Ak-Bars Russi 35 10 13 23 80 4 0 0 0 8

2005-06 Montreal Canadiens NHL 69 23 42 65 76 6 4 3 7 4

2006-07 Montreal Canadiens NHL 73 18 29 47 78 — — — — —

2007-08 Montreal Canadiens NHL 82 35 49 84 70 12 5 6 11 8

2008-09 Montreal Canadiens NHL 78 26 39 65 74 4 2 1 3 2

2009-10 Ottawa Senators NHL 77 18 31 49 54 — — — — —

2010-11 Ottawa Senators NHL 53 14 13 27 26

————————————————————————————–

NHL Totals 1281 426 591 1017 1280 116 44 54 98 104

From what I am hearing, the Senators would be willing to part with Kovalev for a fourth or maybe fifth round draft choice. Unlike many of the other players we hear rumored to be possible acquisitions, we don’t have to give up much to get Kovi. It would be a bit of a gamble, but I would be willing to role the dice.

Billy Guerin turned out to be a pretty good gamble and he was a year older than Kovalev when we got him. Just something to think about.

One thing to keep in mind with Kovy is that he’s a dangling puckhog. So he’d be a terrible match on Sid’s wing (Sid needs the puck as much as possible, not a winger who hogs it). He might work well with Staal though. I’m sure Shero has held off to this point to see if there are better options, as getting Kovy will suck up a lot of the remaining cap space. I believe he’s viewed as the fallback option.